Once called a "verbal Genghis Kahn," Jamie Kennedy is a performer and poet from Vallejo, CA. After years directing controversial underground films, he stumbled across his first poetry slam in 1998, and quickly blazed on to the scene with his raw blend of manic theatrics, ferocious comedy, and fearless subject matter. Since then he’s lead three teams to Western Regional Slam Championships, and has won his way onto slam teams at the National Poetry Slam ever year he’s competed since 1999.
As a cunning competitor, he’s taken the championship at the Ill List, the $1000 Starry Plough Slam, the Chi-Town Classic, the Battle of the Bay, the Marin County Fair, the War of Words Tag Team Bout and has been a Grand Slam Winner three years in a row. He was also a finalist for the National Poetry Slam, the New Word Series and Oakland’s “Hottest Poet” Showcase. He’s toured all over the U.S, from Seattle to Dallas, New York to New Orleans and continues to scare soundmen from state to state.
His poem for his daughter “Grim Fairy Tale” was performed on season three of HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, and “Crazy Women” aired on UPN’s “Strange and Unusual Television”. His live act has garnered national recognition from the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, and 60 Minutes. His radio appearances include NPR, KALX, KPFA and Stanford University Radio.
Kennedy created and hosts the show “Tourettes Without Regrets”, which was honored in 2003 with the SF Guardian's "Best of the Bay" award. As an emcee, he was also voted “Best Host” by the National Collegiate Slam the same year. Tourettes features a freestyle battle, filmed pranks, anarchic comedians, freak-show performers, and is home to the largest poetry slam in the nation every month in Oakland.
Jamie’s great grandfather is the infamous L. Ron Hubbard, sci fi author and the creator of the cult of Scientology, who passed down his red hair and knack for inspiring mass insanity (BLACK MAGIC AND BEATDOWNS). Kennedy’s critical poem about his genetic legacy entitled “Judas’ Son” led to fierce battles with the cult and resulted in Kennedy becoming the Master of Ceremonies at the first ever anti-Scientology benefit concert in Clearwater, Florida in 2000 ("DOG EAT DOGMA").
One of Kennedy's proudest achievements continues to be facilitating writing workshops at universities and high schools nationwide. He taught spoken word to youth on probation at the YMCA/County Community School Writers Program and currently holds the position of Mentor at YouthSpeaks, the premier youth poetry, spoken word, and writing program in the country. In early 2003, Jamie coached the Fremont High School Speech Team to a National Championship, and their victory is featured in a Lucasfilm documentary (watch film).
He continues to tour the U.S with the spoken word trio The Suicide Kings. He directs short films, talks to his shadow and freestyle battles himself in the dark. He lives in Oakland, CA.
Jamie can be contacted at tongueartillery@yahoo.com
JAMIE KENNEDY PRESS:
"THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JAMIE" -East Bay Express "TWITCH AND SHOUT" -Berkeley Daily Planet CHICAGO TRIBUNE:
“Onstage, Jamie Kennedy from Oakland is screeching at the top of his lungs, his voice hoarse from days of overuse. His is a screed against modern day religious hypocrisy and violence in the schools, railing at one point against the suggestion that the 10 Commandments be posted in classrooms and wondering why pictures of Jesus always portray Christ as a benign Grateful Dead-like hippie, one without Jewish features. Judas, Kennedy notes, often seems to have red hair, brushing briefly his own fiery red locks. For a finish, he mimes shooting himself point blank and then crumbles to the floor. The crowd goes wild, and he gets a pretty high score…There’s a ragtag, Bohemian, what-the-heck laissez faire to the whole proceeding in keeping with the poet’s role today as rebel, outsider, cultural jester and iconoclast, not to mention, thanks to the slammers, hipster. Multiculturalism, anti-racism, anti-establishment, anti-bull, and a celebration of the intellectual and the underdog are rampant.” -August 16, 1999 |
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